500 ml ceramic bottle, black painted, with a cork on top. At home, poured into a chalice.

Small head, something more than one finger, off-white in colour, with average retention. Second pour was into a tulip, not any difference. Colour is deep ruby, almost brown. Lots of tiny bubbles rising to the top.Aroma of light caramel, red sweet wine.Tastes more like wine too, the alcohol very nicely conceiled. Mostly sweet, with a short acidic finish. A subtle cinnamon note on the finish as well.Full body and as much carbonation as needed.A very tasteful dubbel.

Poured from a 50cl stoneware container into a tulip. Points for the badass bottle. Nice rocky head, but it needs a little bit of a force pour. Retention isn't great, but at least it leaves a thin cap on top of a dark, clear, blood-ruby beer. More clear amber than many darker brown dubbels.

Smell is cherry and booze and cinnamon with a little caramel/toffee breadiness in the background.

Sweet and spicey. Just a hint of bitterness in the middle. Definitely some nice dark fruit suggestions, and not too heavy on the crystal malt. The peppery booze helps balance the sweetness, but is also nicely balanced. A little chocolate makes this one taste like one of those chocolate bon-bons with the cherry liqueur inside.

Light body for the style, some moderate viscosity and lifting carbonation keep this from becoming unpleasant but it feels lacking.

Overall an interesting take on a dubbel, a good beer with balanced flavors. I would like to see this scaled up a little, especially with the body. Worth it though and I would buy it again, if only for the sweet ceramic bottle.

The beer was in a ceramic bottle. Drank it in a westvleteren chalice which is ok for this type of beer. The beer has a nice (slightly brownish couloured)head and a darkbrown colour of the beer itself. You would almost think that you have a westvleteren! Which is, of course, really not the case. For a dubbel it is an OK beer, no more and no less.

I have to agree with the people reviewing before me. This was not very outstanding. Information on the label mentioned caramel colouring, which should not be used in any beer IMO. Still I reviewed this beer without any prejudice.

Colour was OK, black or dark brown with a retaining head. Smell was that of molasses and slightly oily with a bit of chocolate flavor.
Taste was very much like the smell, molasses and oily, almost absent bitterness and a little sticky. It lacks any form of complexity. I always perceived Hertog Jan to be a very good brewery, with the outstanding Grand Prestige and Triple, but this is too bland for me.

What to say about a abdij bier that is not even one... not much except that it smelled like a pilsener, just a little (bad)chocolate in the taste and sweet... hardly any bitteness in smell, taste and aftertaste... sweet, sweet .... not pleased to taste one again.